How do I choose and store tea so it stays good?

What separates the tiers of tea, how long each type keeps, and the storage that preserves it.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 15 min
Read: 2 min

Short answer

Store tea airtight, away from light, heat, moisture and strong smells — it absorbs odours readily. Green tea is best within six months; well-stored black tea keeps for a year or two.

Tea does not spoil but it fades, and it absorbs whatever is around it. A tin next to the coffee or the spices will taste of them within weeks, which is the most common storage mistake.

What you'll need

Airtight opaque containers
A cool cupboard (optional)

Step by step

Store tea airtight and opaque.Light degrades it and air oxidises it. A sealed tin is considerably better than a glass jar on a shelf, however good the jar looks.
Keep it away from strong smells.Tea absorbs odours readily. Storing it next to coffee, spices or anything aromatic transfers the smell within weeks.
Keep it dry and away from heat.Not above the kettle or the hob. Moisture and heat both accelerate the loss of aroma substantially.
Use green and white tea within six months.They are the least processed and fade fastest. Buy them in quantities you will finish rather than in bulk.
Black tea keeps a year or two.More oxidised and therefore more stable. Pu-erh actually improves with age when stored correctly.
Buy loose leaf where you can taste the difference.Bags usually contain smaller broken leaf, which extracts faster and more harshly. Whole leaf gives a rounder cup and can be re-steeped.
Judge quality by appearance and aroma.Whole intact leaves, a clear fresh aroma, no dust. Broken fragments and a flat smell indicate lower grade or old tea.
Do not refrigerate ordinary tea.Condensation each time it comes out degrades it, and it absorbs fridge odours. Sealed in a cool cupboard is better.

Tips

Buy small quantities more often rather than a large tin that goes stale. Tea is cheap enough per cup that freshness costs very little.
If a tea tastes of nothing much, it is probably old or was stored badly. Adding more leaf rarely fixes it.
Tea bags in an opened box on a shelf go stale as quickly as loose tea. Transfer them to an airtight tin.

Common mistakes

Storing tea in a clear jar on a shelf — Light degrades it and the display position is usually warm. An opaque airtight tin in a cupboard preserves it far better.
Keeping tea next to coffee or spices — Tea absorbs surrounding odours readily and will taste of whatever it is stored beside.
Buying green tea in bulk — It fades within about six months. Buying smaller amounts more often gives a much better cup.

Questions people ask

How long does tea last?

Green and white tea are best within about six months; black tea keeps a year or two. It does not become unsafe but it loses aroma and tastes flat.

How should I store tea?

Airtight and opaque, in a cool dry cupboard away from strong smells. Tea absorbs odours readily, so keeping it next to coffee or spices is a common mistake.